Mabs Cross soothes Paul Mulrennan's pain with second Palace House success

If Paul Mulrennan was concerned he'd missed the good times with Mabs Cross, then the performance the pair put in by capturing a second successive Palace House Stakes on Saturday will have eased his worries.

Mulrennan was sidelined when Mabs Cross made the leap from promising sprinter to Group 1 winner last year, having fractured his back in a freak gallops accident during the summer.

He was forced to watch on as first Mabs Cross was beaten by the narrowest of noses in the Nunthorpe, before she went one better when landing the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp, finishing the year as Cartier Champion Sprinter.

However, the loyalty of trainer Michael Dods and owners David and Emma Armstrong was never in doubt. Nor too, it was proved at Newmarket on Saturday, is the ability of Mabs Cross, who brushed aside a 7lb penalty and 209-day absence to emulate Sole Power by winning this contest for a second time.

Watch Mabs Cross make a winning return in the Palace House

“To win that the way she did with a penalty – she’s the real deal,” said Mulrennan.

“This is extra special as I missed the bulk of last season, but there’ll be plenty more good days in her. It's nice Michael and the owners have stuck loyal to me as the phone was hopping with other people wanting to get on her.

“She had to do it the hard way here as she was out on a wing – that was a brilliant performance. She’s a very special filly and she’ll come on a lot for that too.”

The Group 2 Armstrong Aggregates Temple Stakes later this month is the likely next stop for Mabs Cross, with the King’s Stand Stakes, Nunthorpe and Abbaye also on the agenda.

The likes of Mayson, Ribchester and Garswood have carried the Armstrongs' colours with distinction, but Emma Armstrong exuded particular pride and delight at Mabs Cross' success, given the five-year-old was bred out of the first horse they bought, Miss Meggy.

“We’re owner-breeders and this is what it’s all about for us,” she said. “There really wasn’t a decision to be made about whether we kept her racing this year or not.

“We knew she was fit and well but she had a penalty to carry and we thought that would be tough for her. That was only her 14th race, so you would think she could still be improving.”

A clash with the likes of Blue Point, Battaash and Mabs Cross in the King’s Stand Stakes is likely for runner-up Equilateral too, and trainer Charlie Hills said: “Equilateral missed the break a bit, which didn't help, but he's run a great race when he was in front for a long way.

"He's had three quick races, so we'll give him a break now and look at the King's Stand."

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